The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center will host its 2026 Africana Arts & Humanities Festival this weekend, bringing together scholars, authors, artists and community members for a two-day celebration of Black history, culture and creativity.<\/p>\n
Scheduled for March 27\u201328, the annual festival will take place at the library\u2019s Sistrunk Boulevard location in Fort Lauderdale. The event is free and open to the public.<\/p>\n
Now in its latest iteration, the Africana Arts & Humanities Festival serves as the flagship gathering of the library, a nationally recognized institution focused on preserving and promoting the global Black experience through research, scholarship and the arts.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme, \u201cWe, Too, Sing America: 250 Years of Black Life and Culture,\u201d draws inspiration from Langston Hughes\u2019 poem \u201cI, Too\u201d and highlights the lasting contributions of Black communities to the American story. Programming will explore historical perspectives, contemporary scholarship and artistic expression, with an emphasis on intergenerational learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 250 years, Black life, culture, art, and resistance have shaped the story of America,\u201d said Tameka Hobbs, historian and regional library manager at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center. \u201cWe invite the community to experience powerful conversations and performances that explore where we\u2019ve been and where we\u2019re going. Through music, literature, scholarship, and storytelling, we celebrate the richness of the African diaspora. This is more than a festival \u2014 it\u2019s culture, history, and community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The festival will feature a lineup of nationally recognized speakers, including Karsonya Wise Whitehead, president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; Kellie Carter-Jackson, author of We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance; and Randal Maurice Jelks, author of My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy.<\/p>\n
Festival programming will begin Friday evening with a keynote conversation and reception. Saturday\u2019s events will focus on families and youth, with activities including children\u2019s readings, storytelling sessions, cultural experiences and author showcases.<\/p>\n
A bookstore event hosted in partnership with Pyramid Books will include book signings and literary vendors.<\/p>\n
Organizers say the festival is designed to serve as a space for cultural exchange and community engagement, offering lectures, performances and exhibits that reflect the diversity of the African diaspora.<\/p>\n